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The Coven
There can be little doubt that the power of Kidou remains the greatest threat a defecting Shinigami might bring to the world. For the forces of magic have the potential to wreak havoc not merely on the environment, but also the very foundation upon which the planes depend. Magic can halt time, tear open the fabric between worlds, undo death and even bring the dead back as thralls of a mighty magician. Imagine then a whole organization of individuals capable to warp the rules of reality through magic, the damage such an organization could wreak borders on total annihilation. Most officials of the Gotei 13 are therefore relieved to hear that there's no such organization in existence. Unfortunately, that is a lie on the part of the Kidou Corps and the Central 46. Because one such organization does indeed exist, a secret society made up of immoral sorcerers and insane dabblers of dark magics. It goes by the name of "The Coven". Although many would question the wisdom of keeping such an organization a secret, the decision was made with a heavy heart for a good reason. Well knowing of Soul Societies obligations, The Coven responds harshly to any attempts to divine their location or oppose them. Each such attempt has lead to a great loss of human life, often to earthquakes, hurricanes and other seemingly natural disasters which they unleash on the world as a warning to Soul Society. Indeed, it's not uncommon for them to threaten Soul Society with the prospect of a zombie apocalypse, should they not be left at peace. In the end, the officials had to accept their place, and conclude that leaving The Coven alone is far safer than pursuing it. In light of this, The Coven has over the centuries prospered to a far greater degree than most enemies of Soul Society, recruiting defecting Shinigami into their ranks and teaching them the wonders of magic. But they don't limit themselves to merely those, and recruit any soul who'd seek to join the cause, even human magicians. In this manner, The Coven has grown into a secret magocratic society. And in their self-made paradise they explore magic of all forms. While the Corps strive to research and categorize spells for the betterment of Soul Society as a whole, the Coven is a separate organization composed of defectees, traitors and other outcasts of Seireitei. Although the desire to further the reach of magic not unlike their former colleagues, they do so for inherrently selfish reasons, believing themselves superiour to mortals and Shinigami alike, especially those who lack an aptitude for Kidou. Overview The Coven is lead by a mysterious figure simply called "The Masked Man" a spellcaster whose fearsome power is believed to rival that of Hiroya Ginkarei himself. A belief strengthened by the fact that he used his mastery over the magical arts to forge a small demiplane, which now serves as The Coven's premier headquarters. This demiplane contains a massive castle-city where members of the organization are known to reside. This castle-city is simply referred to by the organization as Our Home". Being a magocracy, each individual ascends in the ranks based on their skill within the field of magic. The weaker ones possess little power, but are nontheless afforded the honor of full citizens, but those who possess no magical aptitude whatsoever are treated as cattle and their lives are utterly dominated by the mages of The Coven. Aside from the Masked Man, who commands the greatest amount of magical power in the organization, there is a strictly defined hierarchy. Second to the Masked Man's authority are the five Archmages, each of whom can reasonably claim to be among the greatest in their field. After them come the Sorcerers, who are formidable practitioners of their craft to be sure, but cannot truly hold a candle to the Archmages. After that are the regular Mages, and at the very bottom are the Adepts, who are the lowest caste aside from the Mageless. The Mageless are associates and servants of the organization who lack any magical talent or aptitude whatsoever, but whom have been indoctrinated in The Coven's belief of magical supremacy. Following recent events, the Coven's homeplane has begun to merge with the human world, and their official headquarters.. the massive castle known simply as Our Home presently occupies the entire middle point of the japanese city of Amagasaki. Goal Currently, following the death of Yhwach, the members have taken to attempt to collect as many of the Soul Fragments as possible. Their ultimate goal being to reassemble them, and create a Soul King who'd follow their whims and support their desire for magocracy; a civilization where ones knowledge and ability in magic deterines ones place in society. Far from simply being interested in a Magocracy, the members of the organization believe with an overwhelming zeal that borders on religous doctrine that magic is a sign of supremacy and that the world shall surely cease to be unless they come to power. To Convert others to this belief, their agents often infiltrate the Rukon districts and perform miracles for the poor residents therein. These miracles and wonders range from simple displays of their powers, to assistance in childbirth, healing, driving back attacking Hollows and improving their living conditions with their magic. All in the effort of making them believe that they are in fact better off with a magocratic leadership. Worldview Most members of the Coven have little love of humans, viewing them as little more than means to maintain balance. As they view them as fundamentally inferior beings, they've no trouble justifiyng conducting horrific experiments on unfortunate civilians that manage to stumble into their hands. Remarking that were it not for the magic of Shinigami, these creatures would not have a future - so the least they can do is lend their bodies for research. But they hold no love for Hollows, in fact, The Coven views them as sickly creatures in need of a purging, and to this end one of their secondary goals is to cause the complete annihilation of Hueco Mundo. While they currently possess the means, they're not foolish, and wouldn't do such a thing unless they felt it absolutely neccessary - or alternatively, if they found a way to do so without threatening the integrity of the planes themselves. But residents of Hueco Mundo and other planes as well, should be warned that The Coven possesses three Kidou Cannons, and among those three, one is constantly pointing in the direction of the Hollow's Homeplane. Members Leader The Masked Man: A mysterious figure known by no name, and always fully clad in black robes that leave not even an inch of skin exposed. His distinguishing feature is the golden mask he's always wearing, and beneath it, his eyes glow a bright blue. To most of the lesser members of the Order, The Masked Man is a God, descended from the heavenly planes in order to usher them into a new era. Indeed, most might be forgiven for mistaking him as such, but despite the wonders he's capable of, The Masked Man is but a lone Kido Grandmaster. Archmages Every mountain has its peak, every sun its zenith. That is what it means to be an Archmage of the Coven, to be regarded as a living prophet, a deity and ascended being true to the principles of magic. But surely such a thing is impossible, that is what most of their detractors would say. But upon witnessing the five in action, one can only nod in agreement. Because under their unbridled powers, civilizations have been annihilated, societies have been conquered and the very integrity of the planes shook to the core. Were it not for the threats issued by the Archmages, which include horrors such as killing and reanimating a nation of humans as Jiangshi and have them run rampant on the world at large, bring about natural catastrophes of simply enormous scale, to even cause an actual apocalypse if pushed hard enough, has been sufficient to ensure that The Coven was never disturbed by organizations that would otherwise desire to bring about its downfall. In terms of organization, the Archmages consistent of a single quartet, with mysterious Masked Man serving as its fifth and final member, who has also been granted the final say in all matters of the Coven. In this, he has been granted a rather dramatic secondary title of "Magi Supremus" – but despite The Masked Man's superiority, the Archmages generally govern as a quintovirate. And most decisions are agreed upon in private Councils between the members. Attempting to gauge the magical power of the Archmages is a fool's errand, for they possess power which might indeed border on the immeasurable. Indeed, the power of The Masked Man was sufficient to create a new plane of existence, on which The Coven is based. Sorcerers Few enemies of The Coven are unfortunate enough to incite the wrath of the Sorcerers, who stand among the annals of history as some of the greatest and most gifted in their craft. Arcane revolutionaries, the Sorcerers act as the highest authority to most Adepts, as the Archmages are seldom seen mingling with the lesser folk. To be a Sorcerer in the Coven is to live a life of luxury, prestige and immense power, as the rest of the organization defers to them in most matters. To fight against a Sorcerer is to realize that whatever you thought you knew about magic is nothing but a falsehood, a clever lie disguised as a pattern. Indeed, it is expected of these men, women, and in some cases, beasts to have reinvented magic in some grand scheme, and many of them possess original and unique ways to mold their magic: from wielding History itself as a weapon of destruction, using sacrificial pacts and practises to fuel catatrophes to even wield the very World against their foes. The basest and most basic requirement of being accepted as a Sorcerer is to have mastered the art of Eishouhaki, and as such, they are all, without exception capable of casting spells silently without issue. Mages In the ranks of The Coven, Mages are considered to be its elite fighting force, as the power of a lone mage rivals that of a Captain. They lead lesser operations and are commonly seen either in groups of two or more, or leading a group of Adepts to secure an important objective. Similarly to the Adepts, not all Mages are well-suited for direct combat – although unlike the former, they're commonly capable of adapting to it nevertheless. For they're highly skilled in both binding and destructive spells. It is in fact expected of mages to be capable of casting all the Central 198 Spells issued by the Kido Corps. Many of them are also at least experts of Eishohaki. It is at this point that members of the Coven start developing magical specialties, and in contrast to Adepts, who are largely cut of the same cloth, Mages are much more diverse. Wielding a wide range of magical powers of many different sources. Adepts Adepts are formally the weakest true members of The Coven, they're spell casters whom while not necessarily that powerful yet in comparison to the more senior members nonetheless catch the interest of its membership. Commonly the organization will seek out young promising candidates for The Kidō Corps through their Seireitei agents and extend an offer firsthand. Typically such individuals rival Lieutenants in terms of personal power, although they're not always combatants; their high skill in magic affords them and the organization great utility and they're precious resources to The Coven all the same. Frequently, these Adepts are lured to the organization by the promise of unrestrained tutelage within the noble arts, indeed, this is a promise that is never broken and most Adepts have Masters who serves as an instructor, allowing them to reach new heights and ensure that The Coven survives in the future as well. The Mageless The Mageless have an uncertain standing within The Coven, for as their name implies their ranks consist of those without the ability to use magic of any form. As an organization sworn to the goal of issuing forth a true Magocracy, those without talent or ability are considered to be of little value. Within the Mageless there are two distinct categories, the first being those labelled as Thralls; which are those with no magical aptitude whatsoever, and their primary purpose is to serve as The Covens test subjects. Enchanters within the Coven have utterly broken their minds, and they retain only basic functions, such as eating, sleeping and similar mechanisms. On the other end of the spectrum are those who the Coven consider fit to be used, which includes those who might conceivably learn magic and others whose abilities renders them useful if placed under powerful enchantments to obey. Although some of these serve as semi-valued associates, most of them are treated as dispensable tools.